This invention relates generally to user interfaces for portable hand-held electronic devices, and more particularly, to user interfaces with programmable soft keys.
The design of ergonomic and consumer friendly controls for cellular phones and other portable electronic devices is becoming more challenging with time due to the increasing number of functions and features in such devices, and the limited space available for controls. For example, it is now common to provide cellular telephones that also function as digital cameras, personal digital assistants, and audio playback devices. At the same time, consumers demand smaller devices. It is neither practical, nor desirable, to provide dedicated controls for every available function or feature in a cellular phone. Increasing the number of buttons and other controls adds to the cost, weight, and size of devices. Additionally, a device with numerous controls can be intimidating and/or confusing for many users.
Soft keys are commonly used in cellular phones and other portable electronic devices to reduce the number of controls needed for the user interface. A soft key is a button typically disposed adjacent a display that performs whatever function is currently displayed next to it on the display. The function of the soft key changes depending on context. Since a soft key may perform many different functions depending on the current context, the use of soft keys greatly reduces the number of buttons in a user interface.
While soft keys are versatile, they are not always intuitive and may intimidate some users. As a result, users may shy away from purchasing mobile terminals with soft keys or may ignore soft key features on their mobile terminal.